A Questionare for Fundamentalists

Marty Hamrick
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A Questionare for Fundamentalists

Whenever I've posted something about indoctrination techniques used on children that is standard operating procedure in most Evangelical, Baptist, Methodist, Pentacostal,etc, churches, inevitably some Christians are quick to jump to their feet and shout, "Oh no, that's not us! You're generalizing." Yet no one refutes it when I post examples of what I'm talking about. This isn't aimed at one person or group, but a varity of groups that can safely be classified as "Fundamentalist". We have covered the definition and posted sources on numerous threads in the past, so there should be no doubt as to the definition of the word. Here are the questions.

1) At what age do you teach the doctrine of Hell and what exactly do you teach them at what age? For instance if you teach them the minimum, that Hell is "an awful place where unsaved souls go. A place of eternal separation from God and your Christian family." At what age do you teach this?

2) At what age are children allowed into the sanctuary during services? I atteneded primarily Baptist and Pentacostal churches in the US southest from birth (1960) to as late as 2005. Many of them can't wait to get them "under the sound of the Gospel" right out of the nursery. Some have them attend children's church until age 7 or 9. What does your church do?

3) Does your church give an Invitation toward the end of the service? Does your church do Revivals? At what age are children exposed to these?

4) How old do you feel a child needs to be to learn about the following doctrines (assuming you teach these, some of these vary depending on denomination)?

a) eschatology?
b)The Rapture?
c) The Tribulation?
d)The Second Coming and Armageddon?
e)) The Great White Throne Judgement and The Judgement Seat of Christ?
f) Final States for the Redeemed and the Damned?

5)How old should a child be to learn the definition of Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit how does your church define it?

6) How old should a child be in order to be exposed to salvation pressure? How often do you hear pastors say during invitation, "What guarantee do you have that you will be alive 5 minutes from now? Don't leave before making sure."

7) What do you teach them about creation and Noah's Ark? What do you tell them when they learn that their friends not of the family faith are taught something completely different in public schools?

8 ) what do teach them about other relgions? How much exposure do you allow them to friends of other faiths and non faiths? At what age do you allow this?

9) What do you teach them about homosexuality? What do you tell them about gay family members and friends?

10) What teaching methods do you use? If you use particular films, AV media or other popular methods please give examples such as film titles, game titles, programs, etc. What songs do you play to young children and encourage them to sing?

Like I said, I'm not singling anyone or any particular faith out here, just asking questions. I once got into a debate with a woman in Texas on another site who accused Ricahrd Dawkins of" indoctrinating children to the atheist religion" by offering learning camps for critical thinking. No comparison. I posted the differences, she couldn't refute me. She resigned from the site, pulling her profile within a few days.     

"Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings."


ex-minister
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 Would you have to have

 Would you have to have those posted differences between the Richard Dawkin's learning camp and religion indoctrination? I would enjoy reading them.

Religion Kills !!!

Numbers 31:17-18 - Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

http://jesus-needs-money.blogspot.com/


Marty Hamrick
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I will look for them, I

I will look for them, I posted them on goosebook.


Marty Hamrick
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Here is the response thread

Here is the response thread on goosebook. http://goosebook.spruz.com/forums/?page=post&id=37CA912C-5CBA-41A4-85ED-1C6AE0932020&fid=10DECC8C-44CE-47A4-88EB-B22943612262

 

The original thread was deleted when the member, s/n Southernlass, resigned from the site and requested all of her posts be removed. However, if you send Goose an email and talk to him nicely, he may find the original posts. After all, its a public site.

"Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings."


ex-minister
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 oh bother. It requires me

 oh bother. It requires me to register to even read what you wrote. 

they require me to register thru an email address. Don't need more spam at the moment.

 

Would you be willing to copy and paste here?

Religion Kills !!!

Numbers 31:17-18 - Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

http://jesus-needs-money.blogspot.com/


Wonderist
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Hey Marty,I often recommend

Hey Marty,

I often recommend The Mind of the Bible Believer, when discussing fundamentalist indoctrination techniques. Ever hear of that one? It would probably have some good candidates for your list.

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Zeepheus
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I find this post

I find this post interesting. I really like the questions as I have asked many of these in the past. We have a very good friend who is a pagan and who has 5 daughters and 3 of the 5 have gone to the local baptist preschool (only preschool in their little town). Fortunately their girls are very intelligent and by 4 years old were already learning critical thinking skills. The "teachers" were pushing religion and many of the things in your list in the preschool to 4 year olds. Specifically they were pushing creationism and the "joy" of knowing gods love.

I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.

You see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.


Atheistextremist
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Agree

 

My particular experience with all these really big and, to a child, extremely threatening questions, was exposure from an age of earliest comprehension - 5 or 6 probably. I think it's perhaps a little more relentless as a preacher's kid when you're right up close to it. The idea of questioning the thought processes of the big kahuna doesn't really enter into it. The threat of hell was part of a routine day and satan was everywhere. Questioning this assured death and torture. 

I think many of the aspects of evangelical doctrine Marty raises here are too much even for teenagers to be exposed to. You simply can't claim that your coherent argument based on inerrant proof comes gift wrapped by a loving god in a hideous threat. Having said this, christian parents definitely throw god at the kids when they're young. All my brothers and sisters have done so and all their kids believe. All 12 or 13 of them, with one possible but not certain exception. 

Personally, I don't believe there's any way to unstitch this process without demanding alteration to the doctrine on the basis it constitutes hate crime and child abuse. 

 

Ed: Salvation pressure.  Yep - that's a great way to describe it. I must have been about 7 or so for this. With my parents hovering to make sure I did not go to hell. It still tears my mother up that I will not be with her for eternity. My kid sister is taking her baby to church to ensure she is saved as soon as possible. The bub is not quite 2. It's bizarre and disgusting and pitiful. And it's a cycle. 

"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck


Vastet
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I don't understand some of

I don't understand some of those questions, which is a good thing I think. lol

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